Chapter 16. If You’re By My Side
Delia pouted at Aaron’s relaxed smile and grumbled.
“Then you should’ve given me a different horse to ride.”
“If I had, you wouldn’t be alive right now. Do you know how many times I caught you when you almost fell off from dozing?”
“Thank you so very ‘mu-ch’ for saving my life.”
Muttering softly, Delia lifted her head and took in the clear forest of Eorenti with her eyes.
“This is the most boring hunt I’ve ever been on. How am I supposed to catch anything without a weapon? Just give me a sword or something.”
“Why? So you can try assassinating me again?”
“Of course.”
Aaron burst into laughter at the prisoner’s shameless answer.
“Then go get a sword yourself. Finding a weapon is part of being a good assassin.”
Aaron’s unflinching response to her assassination threat made Delia pout. He was unbelievably annoying.
“If you’re not even going to give me a weapon, why did you bring me along? You could’ve just left me in the tent to get some sleep.”
“To show something.”
At his unexpected answer, Delia widened her eyes and looked up at the commander. She couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“Show what?”
“That you’re in my hands. To your subordinates. If I keep provoking them, they’ll react somehow.”
“There’s nothing good that’ll come out of provoking them.”
This commander… She already knew he was sly, but this was downright low. Delia puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
“Your identity really intrigues me. Their reactions might give me a clue.”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Then stick close to me until the war is over.”
Delia flinched and pulled away. A squirrel, startled by her sudden movement, scurried up a tree. Feeling the reaction in his arms, Aaron smirked.
“Now, what should I feed you to make you gain some weight? Rabbit? Deer? Wild boar?”
With each suggestion, his breath lightly tousled Delia’s hair. She grumbled, still looking at a distant tree.
“How can imperial elites go hunting and be satisfied with a rabbit?”
“Then what would satisfy you?”
“At least a wolf.”
“You want to eat wolf, prisoner? You don’t have to look far. One’s right here.”
Aaron grinned and pulled Delia closer.
“If you want, I’m happy to offer myself.”
This shameless bastard. Delia clicked her tongue and straightened her back. But the more she struggled to get away, the deeper she was pulled in. In the end, she gave up and let herself be held.
“Commander, I have a refined palate. I don’t eat just anything.”
“If you knew who I really was, you wouldn’t be able to refuse.”
Aaron Stilleitz Bergen, the Grand Duke of the Stilleitz Empire, famously known as the Silver Wolf. The first in line to the imperial throne, recognized by the Pope as the rightful heir of divine restoration. With nearly imperial-level authority and power, he was also handsome and unmarried. Any noble family with daughters saw him as the ultimate prize. But the prisoner, unaware of all this, looked anything but pleased.
“To me, a crazy commander is just someone I want to escape from.”
Grumbling to herself, Delia swept her vivid blue eyes across the surroundings. The scent of flowers carried by the breeze washed away her irritation and unease. She extended a slender finger and pointed.
“Quit your nonsense and go pick that for me.”
Aaron’s gaze followed her hand. His sharp eyes scanned the area. Wildflowers danced in the mountain breeze. It wasn’t the direction of her subordinates, and there didn’t seem to be any obvious traps. No anomalies—just like yesterday.
“Those irises are really pretty.”
Seeing the prisoner smile so innocently, Aaron clicked his tongue. To someone like him who didn’t care for flowers, her obsession was baffling. He glanced at her sparkling blue eyes and called his aide.
“Dyke.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Go pick them. Check the area while you’re at it.”
Dyke and the others quickly spurred their horses into motion. The trained imperial cavalry galloped toward the flowers in a magnificent display. They returned, dignified, carrying the irises and surrounding blossoms. Dyke solemnly offered the bouquet like an enemy’s severed head.
“Any signs of danger?”
“None, sir.”
Aaron frowned as he accepted the flowers. What is she scheming now? He handed the bouquet to Delia, scrutinizing her with sharp eyes. But Delia only smiled brightly.
“Oh, so pretty.”
She brought the flowers to her nose. Their sweet fragrance and the fresh scent of grass seeped into her breath. Feeling soothed, Delia plucked a purple iris petal and put it in her mouth. Her lips curved gently from the calming effect of the flower.
“She’s eating flowers again.”
Aaron frowned down at her.
“If it’s pretty, look at it. If it smells nice, sniff it.”
“You feel it better when you eat it.”
“Just how are your senses broken…? I told you not to eat weird stuff.”
“Commander, try it once. You’ll get it.”
“Prisoner, I have a refined palate. I don’t eat just anything.”
Delia, hearing her own words thrown back at her, shook her head.
“Tsk, you’re a hopeless imperial bumpkin.”
Clicking her tongue, she nibbled another petal like a butterfly sipping nectar. Aaron muttered as he watched her.
“I’d better feed you some meat soon. With all these flowers, I’m afraid you’ll just float away.”
If she disappeared before he figured her out, that’d be a problem. Aaron gripped the reins and spurred the horse a little faster. The sun was warm, and the wind stirred by the horse was cool. The dull pain in his arm faded into the scent of flowers.
While Delia focused on chewing petals, Aaron suddenly stopped the horse.
“What? Giving up already?”
“Shh.”
A warm breeze blew past her ear. Instinctively, Delia grabbed Aaron’s muscular arm wrapped around her waist. He held her firmly with his left arm and stretched his right to the side. A cavalryman riding behind handed him a loaded musket. Aaron took it, his gray eyes gleaming.
Delia, sensing his intensity, warned him in a low voice.
“If you hurt my subordinates, I won’t forgive you.”
Her people still lingered nearby, unable to abandon her or attack for fear she might be harmed. Tension, like a fire about to burst, filled the forest.
“Whatever happens, don’t shoot them.”
Aaron lifted the musket, smirking slightly. He propped the barrel over her shoulder and aimed.
“I don’t care about minnows. As long as you’re by my side like now…”
Delia was trapped between his arm and the musket. She couldn’t move forward because of his solid arm or back because of his broad chest. His warm breath brushed her ear.
“I won’t be shooting them.”
Delia instinctively turned to look at Aaron. His sharp gray gaze followed the barrel toward the target. His nose cut the sunlight like a blade. His brow furrowed in concentration, lips tightly pressed. The only thing alive in that stillness was the sound of his heartbeat.
Bang.
The musket fired, its recoil jolting them both. Delia blinked from the unfamiliar sensation. The sharp scent of gunpowder filled her nose.
Thud.
A distant sound marked the success of the hunt. Aaron lowered the musket with a satisfied smile, leaning closer to Delia. Her blue eyes, like the sky, looked up from his arms.
“This is the thrill of the hunt.”
To place the sky beneath his feet—Aaron felt a thrilling shiver. Of everything he had hunted, nothing had been so fierce, so wild, or so beautiful. Taming her was going to be worth it.
“Bring it here.”
Two imperial cavalrymen rode past him to fetch the prey. As they disappeared into the trees, Aaron whispered to Delia, who was still stunned.
“Prisoner, if you want to play with me, you need to eat well and recover fast.”
His hot breath still held the heat of the hunt.
“I’ll hunt for you. Just tell me what you want to eat.”
Aaron’s lips curved into a sly smile.
As the sun set, the forest turned eerie. Moonlight cast deep shadows, and the hoot of an owl echoed in the dark. But the warmth nearby made even the night feel cozy.
“Prisoner, what are you thinking about so deeply?”
The dried wood in front of them bloomed into flames. Fire shadows danced across Delia’s blank face. The blaze reminded her of the muzzle flash from earlier.
“Planning another way to kill me?”
Crackle.
The sound of burning wood was sweet like nectar, dreamy like a fog. Delia stared into the rising embers.
“Prisoner?”
“Huh?”
Was this a dream? Aaron’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“What were you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me.”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”
Delia lazily gave a meaningless reply and turned back to the fire. Its hypnotic world helped her forget the grim reality of being a captive.
“You should eat and come to your senses.”
Aaron stared at her, worried she might vanish into the flames. He and the fire swayed together with her.
“I went through the trouble of catching that deer so you’d recover.”
He handed her a tray of neatly cut venison. The smell brought her out of her trance. Returning to reality, Delia frowned.
That commander must enjoy tormenting prisoners for fun.
Not “prisoners,” just you, Delia, Miss Prisoner.